Apparatus for treating the defective surface metal of billets or the like



y 26, 1938. A. B. KINZE L 2, 5,11

APPARATUS FOR TREATING THE DEFECTIVE SURFACE METAL 0F BILLETS OR THE LIKE Origigal Filed July 29, 1932 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 1x VEN TOR. AUGUSTUS B. KINZEL A TTORXEY July 26, 1938. ZE 2,125,173

APPARATUS FOR TREATING THE DEFECTIVE SURFACE METAL 0F BILLETS OR THE LIKE Original Filed July 29, 1932 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR AUGUSTUS B. KINZEL ATTORNEY I Patented July 26,1938

UNITED STATES.

PATENT OFFICE APPARATUS FOR TREATING THE DEFEC- TIVE SURFACE METAL F BILLETS" OR.

.THE LIKE Augustus B. Kinzel, Douglaston, Long Island, N. Y., minor, by mesne assignments, to Union Carbide and Carbon Corporation, a corporation of New York original application. July 29, 1932, Serial No. 625,637. Divided andthis application January 2, 1936, Serial No. 57.167

11 Claims.

This invention relates to apparatus for treat-' ing metallic bodies to eliminate surface defects, such as cracks or defectively bonded metal-or abrupt irregularities of contour, and is a division I 6 of my application Serial No. 625,637, filed July 29,

10 billets, is successively rolled at a high temperature. The working of the metal in any of these rolling steps often causes the surface of the metal to crack and form crevices known as snakes. The walls of these cracks become coated with oxides which prevent them from being welded togetherduring the further rolling of the metal. Frequently, the defects, such as cracks and poorly bonded metal, are rolled into the body of the metal and become concealed during the rolling operations. Also, when metal containing such defects is rolled, the defects increase in length in proportion to the reduction in area of cross-section of the metal object being rolled. Therefore, whenever such cracks occur in the metal it is 25 necessary that they be eliminated before the metal is further rolled. It is also necessary that, upon eliminating the cracks or poorly bonded metal, the surface of the metal be left free from abrupt irregularities of contour. That is, the abruptness of the slope of the sides of the elevations or depressions must not be so great that the oxide coated sides will be folded over on each other when rolled out and produce folds of oxides within the metal when further rolled.

I-Ieretofore, the defective surfaces of blooms or billets have been prepared for subsequent rolling operations by cutting out the surface portions which contribute to the production of defects in the rolled or finished product. The removal of 40 the surface portions has been effected by mechanical methods, such as chipping or. milling, and more recently by the use of a highly oxidizing stream of gas. Before the metal is operated upon by any of the prior methods mentioned 45 herein, the hot metal is allowed to cool to a comparatively low temperature to allow the inspectors to get close enough to the metal to detect and mark the undesirable metal portions to be removed, and to allow the metal removing operators to get close enough to operate upon the metal. During this cooling period time and heat energy are lost, as well as the time consumed during theireheating of the metal for subsequent V roiling. o I 4 .nemg'vmg surface metal, by milling and chipping is very laborious and it consumes a great amount of time. While the removal of undesirable metal portions bythe-use of the oxidizing gas streamis less laborious and quicker than milling or chipping, it, like the prior methods,

cuts away substantial portions of the metal which The loss of metal is due in part to r is a waste. the fact that it is necessary to cut out wide gouges to provide depressions having sides with slopes within the necessary minimum degree required to prevent the sides of the depression from being folded over when rolled.

Therefore, one of the objects of this invention is to provide apparatus which will conserve time, labor, heat, and metal in eliminating surface defects from metallic bodies to prepare the surface of the metal for subsequent metal working processes.

Another object of this invention is to provide apparatus which will convert the surface of a metallic body into a relatively smooth homogeneous mass firmly bonded to the body metal and substantially free from oxide inclusions.

Another object of this invention is to provide apparatus which will eliminate the necessity for inspecting the surface of the metal for defects.

In accordance with this invention apparatus is provided to melt defective portions of the surface to the depth of the defective metal and thereby eliminate the oxide from the surfaces of the cracks and the poorly bonded metal so that, upon solidifying, the surface will be welded together in a smooth homogeneous mass to the body metal. Preferably, the surface is melted with one or more electric arcs which may be applied to-the defective portion only, or to the entire surface of the metal. The arcs may be appliedto the surface while the body of the metal is cold or' immediately after it has been hot worked. In some instances it may be desirable to subject the surface of the metal to the heat of the electric are immediately after it has passed through the hot rolling operation for the purpose of conserving the heat in the metal at that point and to save the time and heat required to heat the metal up for subsequent hot working Fig. I is an isometric view of an apparatus are stagger the arcs operating upon the surface of a bloom or billet;

and

Fig. II is a modified detail of the apparatus .shown in Fig. I; and

Fig. Iii is a diagrammatic viewgillustrating the location of the apparatus shown in Fig. I when arranged between two roll stands for treating the surfaces of billets during their mc-vement between 'and electrode feeding devices. For clearness the electric circuit and a det'ice 6 for regulating only one of thearcs is shown diagrammatically.

In the circuit shown a generator 6 providesa source of current for the arcs. Preferably the positive side of. the generator 6 is connected to: the billet I and the negative side is connected toeach of the electrodes 4. Each of the eiectrodes is held by an electrode holder I. The holder 1 is actuatecbto strike and regulate the arc in the usual manner by a plunger 6. The plunger 9 is actuated by a solenoid 9 in series with the arc circuit. However, other suitable means for striking and regulating the arc may be employed.

The electrodes 4 are arranged in batteries in refractory insulative blocks III which are secured in slidable frames II, I2, I3, and I4. Each of the electrodes 4 is slidably guided in bores II in the blocks. The electrodes are arranged in rows and in relation to each other so that play upon different portions of.the

billet I as it passes through the main frame 3.

" The number of arcs may be varied as the: conditions may require.

There may as many batteries of electrodes [as are required to play the arcs on all of the sides of the metal whose surface is treated. As shown, the billetI has four sides and a batteryof electrodes is provided for each side. Asthe billet passes through the frame 3 in the direction of the arrow A the electrode blocks III may beheld stationary so that the travelof the arcs along the surface of the work will be a straight line.

In such a case the apparatus hereinafter described may be eliminated.

In order to cover the surface ofeach side of the billet more effectively the batteries of electrodes are given a movement transverse to .the

9 movement of thebillet I as it passes through the main frame 3. For this purpose each slidable frame'II, I2, l3, and I4, in which the electrode blocks I0 are mounted. is provided withgrooves I6 in opposite edges thereof which receive lands I1 on the main frame 3. The electrodes mounted main stationary frame3f When the cam I3 is in the top slidable frame II and in the near side slidable frame I2 are given the transverse move ment by the rotation of a cam I9 keyed to a shaft I9 journaled in the upper 'near" corner 29 of the rotated, the high point 2I"of the cam moves the slidable frames II and I2 on the lands IT in th stationary frame 3 away.from the cam shaft I and transversely of the movement of the billet I.

The slidable frames I I and I2 are given a return transverse movement by springs 22 and 23 0cm:

pressed between the stationary frame 3 and each 'of the end edges of the slidable frames most dis- .tant from the cam I9. The springs 22 and 23 are maintained. in place by pins 24 which pass through the coil of the springs. One end of each pin 25 is secured to the main frame 3 and the other end slides in a bore 26 in its respective slidable franie II or I2;

- The bottom battery and the far side battery of electrodes are mounted in a manner similar to the other two batteries of electrodes in relation to a cam 26 snds'prings 21 (one of which is not shown) acting in opposition tov the cam 26 on the edges of the slidable frames most distant from the cam for givingthe electrodes 4 a transverse movement.

A bevel gear 29 is keyed to each of the' cam shafts I9 and 29. The gears 2e on the cam shafts are geared together by. a horizontal shaft 39 and a vertical shaft 35, each having a gear 32 on one end meshing with one of the cam shaft gears and gears 33 on the other ends meshing with each other. A bevel gear 34 keyed to a shaft 35 journaled in a bracket 36 on the mainframe 3 meshes with a bevel gear 31 on the cam shaft 29. The cams I8 and 26 may be rotated through the train of gears described by a crank 38 on the shaft 35 journaled in the braoket 36 or by power operated means or the like connected to the shaft 35.

In some cases it is preferred to protect the electric arcs from the surrounding air to prevent the surface of the metal from being oxidized by the action of the atmospheric oxygen in contact with the exposed arcs. For this purpose, as shown in Fig. II, the electrodes 4 are slidably mounted in bushings 39 which in-turn are mounted in the blocks III. .A protective gas which-is inert in respect to the metal, such as hydrogen, is supplied through an inlet 40 to a. cavity ii in the bushings. The gas is discharged through an outlet 42 which islarger than the electrode 4 to allow the gas to envelop the electrode and the are after being hot-rolled by the roll stand 43 in the customary manner, are conveyed and guided by the mllers 2 through the surface conditioning apparatus indicated at 44 whieh has been previous- 117 described in detail and which is here shown enclosed within a protective covering supported by the frame 3. The billets I, after the surface treatment, may pass from the apparatus 44 along the set of rollers 2 on the discharge side of the conditioning apparatus 44' to another stand of roiis 45 which subject the treated billets to another hot rolling operation.

While a plurality of mechine operated electrodes have been shown fer treating the entire surfaces of a billet. it is to be understood that the arcs may be applied to the defective portions of a surface only. -It is also to be understood that other forms of apparatus may be used without departing from the scope of my invention as defined in the appended claims.'

What is claimed is: g

1. In apparatus for treating steel bodies such as ingots, blooms, billets and the like after they have 'been 'rolled to reduce their cross section and before they have cooled below the rolling arcane temperature, the combination with a roller conprising banks of to be disveyor, of a supporting frame disposed adjacent to said conveyor, said conveyor being adapted tofeedandmovesaidsteelbodiesill-stsaid frame; and means carried by said frame for progressively subjecting successive surface portions of each body, during its movement past said frame,-to a high temperature fault removing treatment in remove substantially all of the surface defects.

' 2. In apparatus for treating steel bodies such as ingots, blooms, billets and the like, the combinatlon with a roller conveyor, of a supporting frame disposed adjacent to said conveyor. said conveyor being adapted to feedand move said steel bodies past said frame: and means carried by said frame for simultaneously subjecting a plurality of surfaces of each-body, during its movement past said frame, to a high temperature fault removing treatment to remove substantially all of the surface defects in the surfaces of the bodiu.

3'. Apparatus for treating steel bodies such as ingots, blooms, billets, and the like to transform defective surface portions thereof into suitable condition for rolling, comprising the combination of means for applying localised heat having a temperature above the melting point of said body along zones extending completely across at least one surface of such body; and means for feeding the body longitudinally through the zone of localized heat to progressively treat successive surface portions of the body at a rate whereby the entire surface is substantially heated and said defects are substantially completely removed.

4. Apparatus for treating steel bodies such as ingots, blooms, billets, and the liketo transform defective surface portions thereof into suitable condition for rolling, comprising the combination of means for apply ng locallsed heat to surfaceportions of such abodyto superficially melt the surface and produce a homogeneous surface free from defects, said heating means comprising a plurality of carbon electrodes adapted to maintain an electric are between the surface of the body and said electrodes, said area being staggered in respect to their relative movement with respect tothesurfsce ofthebody; andmeansfor feedingthebodythroughthesoneoflocalisedheat tadysuccessively treat an entire surface of the 5. Apparatus fortreatingsteelbodiessuchas ingots, blooms, billets, and the like to transform defective sm'face portions thereof into a suitable condition for rolling, comprising the combinationofmeansforfeedingsuchabodylcngitudinallythroughsaidapparatus; meansfor applyinglocalizedheattosurfaoeportionsofthebody to superficially melt the surface and produce ahomogeneous surface free from defects, said do heatingmeanscomprisingapluralityofcarbon electrodes arranged in banks and adapted to, maintainanelectricarcbetweenthemrfaceof posedcompletelyaroimdtheoutersurfaces of suchabody;meansformaintaininganarcbetweeneachofsaidelectrodesandthesurfaces; means for moving saidbodies longitudinally betweensaidbanksofelectrodes;andmeansfor simultaneously reciprocating said electrodes parallel with the'surfaces and transversely of the longitudinal movement of the bodies.

7.Inapparat|.|sfortreatingsteelbodiessuch asingots,blooms,billetsandtbelikeafterthey havebeenmlledtoreduce their-cross section and thedirectionoftheirlengthpastsaidframe; and

means carried by said frame for'progressively;

subjecting successive surface portions of a side ofeachbody,duringitsmovementpastsaidframe. to a hightemperature fault removing treatmenttoremovembstantiallyallofthesur-- face defects of the side being treated.

' 8. Apparatus of the class described including in combination, mechanical means for successivelyhotworkingsteelbodieasuchasingots, blooms, billets and the like; and thermal means operatingonatleaataportionofsuchabodybetween successive hot working operations and whilethesameisstillatahot workingtemperature for removing substantially all of the surface defects therefrom.

- 9. Metal rolling and surfacing apparatus comprising, in combination, mechanism for successivelyreducingthecrosssectionalareaofsteel bodies, such as ingots, blooms, billets and the by hot rolling; and means, including a dein combination, means for successively reducing thecrosssectionalareaofsteelbodiessuchasingots, blooms, billets andthelikebyhot working; and means for applying localised high temperatm'eheattosurfaceportionsofsuchahodyhetween successivereducticnsandwhilethesame isstillatahotworkingtemperaturetosuperflcially melt the surface and produce a homogeneoussurfacefreefom defects.

11. Apparatusoftheclassdesm'ibedmcluding incombinatiomspacedsetsofrollsamngedto successivelyreducemhecmmsectionofsteel bodies simhasingotabloomabilletsorthelike whiletheyremainatsubstantiallythesametemperature: and means located-between said sets ofrollsforsubjectingatleastaporflonofsuch a body to a high temperature fault removing treatment until surface defeets'are relatively completelyremovedtherefrom.

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